Scientists Discover Method To Grow Coral 25 Times Faster

Scientists in the Florida Keys have new groundbreaking potential method to restore dying coral reefs. These scientists are attempting life saving transplants for the Florida Keys reefs. The scientists are grafting new corals onto dying reefs. The growth rate of the coral reefs using this method are unprecedented. Dave Vaughan is leading the team of scientists at Mote Tropical Research Lab in Summerland Key, Florida who have discovered that when the corals were cut into strips, they grew back much faster, we are talking up to 25 times faster. So far in four months, the group has been able to get coral growth that would normally take 2 years. This is an amazing discovery. This is an amazing discovery, and if used worldwide, may be able to restore our destroyed coral reefs at unprecedented rates. This is fantastic news for our corals and I hope the future shows that the growth of these corals can help restore our reefs. The corals will still be subject to the same human impacts like pollution, over-fishing, and dredging, but at least there is hope to get our coral population back up. Click on the link to watch the video for more information. MORE

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Francis Yupangco

Francis is a marine biologist with an MBA and over 20 years of professional aquarium experience. Francis is the former Aquatic Development Manager at Hagen USA., makers of Fluval brand aquarium products. He co-stars on Nat Geo WILD's reality TV series Fish Tank Kings where he is the resident "Fish Geek" and was Director of Marketing at Living Color Aquariums. He is an avid explorer having visited over 45 countries and lived in 7. At 17, he was among the youngest aquarists ever hired by the Vancouver Aquarium, where he worked for 7 years. His aquatic biology experience ranges from larval fish rearing to the design, construction and operational management of renowned public aquariums around the world. Francis is currently head of marketing at the world's largest vertically integrated fish farming company.